MXPA97005626A - Closure and seal device for closing envelopes and a plastic envelope supplied with me - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closing and sealing device for closing and sealing envelopes, characterized in that it comprises a first and second elongated strips of plastic material which can be folded over one another, around a longitudinal articulation line that is extends from a first end to a second end of the device, the first strip is formed with a series of fastening bolts distributed along, each of the locating bolts has a weakened base, the second strip is formed with a series of receptacles, the fixation bolts may be received in the receptacles in attachment relationship in the mimes, in a closed and sealed configuration of the device, the articulation line is a tear line which includes a portion of the initial tear line which it starts from the first end and extends along a smaller initial extension of the line of articulation, the tear line initial is weaker than the remaining major extension of the articulation line, each of the first and second strips are provided adjacent to the first end of the device with an appendage which can be held between the fingers of the user so that, in the closed and sealed configuration, when the user holds and pulls apart the appendices the strips are separated by tearing along the initial tear line and the articulation line, and the weakened bases of the fixation pins are broken.

Description

CLOSING AND SEALING DEVICE FOR CLOSING ENVELOPES AND A PLASTIC ENVELOPE SUPPLIED WITH THE SAME TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention describes a device for closing and sealing envelopes and the like, especially plastic envelopes for the transport of ordinary documents or for delivery services fast such as messaging services and related services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The devices suitable for this use are well known, an example is that described by the Brazilian patent Pl 8903982-3, the cuat describes and illustrates an elongated rectangular piece of plastic in the form of two parallel strips joined together to along a narrow articulation line, around which the strips can be folded over one another. One of the strips is formed along its length with a series of small vertical fastening bolts, while the other strip is formed with a corresponding series of receptacles to receive the fastening bolts in fastening relation. The strip with the fixing bolts is fixed, by means of plastic welding, along the outer edge of one side of the mouth of a plastic envelope, the fixing bolts piercing both edges of the closure. To close and seal the envelope simply fold the strip with the receptacles around the articulation line and press the two strips together until REF: 25196 that the fixing bolts enter the receptacles and are retained. Then the envelope is closed with the line of articulation located along the mouth of the envelope, to prevent access to it. When the envelope is closed and sealed in this way, it is no longer possible to open it without breaking the fixing bolts which, preferably have weakened bases. Any unauthorized attempt to open the envelope results in the breaking of one or more fixation bolts, to leave a clear indication of violation or attempted violation. The normal or authorized opening of the envelope is carried out, not at the end of the mouth, because it is difficult, but by opening by cutting the end opposite the mouth with scissors, to leave the closure device intact for a subsequent inspection to verify if the envelope has been accessed or not by unauthorized persons. A similar device is described in EP-A-0 323 706 which is an earlier version of the product described in the Brazilian patent Pl 8903982-3. In that particular case, the articulation line is formed by a series of transverse bridges spaced longitudinally between the strips.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to provide a device, of the type described above, which allows intentional opening of the envelope, via its mouth end, without the need to use scissors to open it by cutting, in so much that at the same time it allows a simple and quick visual verification of whether the seal has been violated or not. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a device for closing and sealing envelopes and the like, comprises first and second elongated strips of plastic material, foldable on one another, along a longitudinal articulation line of dimension narrow, the first strip is formed with a series of fastening bolts distributed along the same, each of the fastening bolts has a weakened base and the second strip is provided with a series of receptacles adapted to receive the fastening bolts. fixation in fixation relation in them. The device is characterized in that, when starting from the first end and along an initial smaller extension of the articulation line, the latter is weakened with respect to the main remaining extension thereof, to define an initial tear line and because each of the first and second strips is provided with an accessory capable of being held between the fingers of the user, whereby, in the closed and sealed configuration, when the user grasps and pulls the fittings to separate them, the strips tear along the tear line, to break the weakened bases of the fixing bolts. The device according to the present invention can be applied to an envelope in a manner identical to that described in the background of the invention. However, it can be opened by holding each of the accessories and pulling them firmly away from each other, thereby initiating the tearing of the two strips, the breaking of the fixing bolts in their weakened bases and the consequent opening Envelope. In order to verify if the device was violated or not, it is simply necessary to look at the base of each fixing bolt to see if it was broken cleanly or if someone put adhesive on the base in order to hide an unauthorized opening of: . This method of verification is facilitated when the bases of the fixing bolts are attached to the respective strip of the device by means of small radial bridges within holes formed in the strip. In this case, the inspection can be carried out by retaining the strip to the light in order to verify that the holes are empty with the broken bridges. The attachment to be retained between the user's fingers may consist of a thin extension, starting from a point at the first end of the respective strip, adjacent to the articulation line. Preferably it is of "L" shape, the "L" is in the plane of its associated strip. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plastic envelope supplied with a sealing and sealing device is described, the envelope is provided with an opening having first and second overlapping edges and the closing and sealing device is that described above, the first strip of the device is externally fixed to the first edge of the opening, each fixing bolt penetrating the aligned holes in the first and second edges of the opening, the first and second strips have lengths substantially equal to the lengths of each edge along the mouth of the envelope.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a closure and seal device for envelopes, of according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in Figure 1 mounted on a plastic envelope in preparation for closure; Figure 3 is a perspective view, similar to that of Figure 2, but with the closure closed and sealed by the device according to the invention; and Figure 4 shows the envelope that is opened with the strips of the closure and seal device that are separated by the accessories provided by the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The closing and sealing device illustrated in Figure 1 consists of a single piece 1 of molded polypropylene or similar material. It consists of two elongated rectangular strips 2 and 3, joined together along a line 4 of narrow articulation around which the strips can be folded, one on the other. The strips 2 and 3 are provided with rectangular holes 5 along their lengths, for the purpose of saving the material used in their construction. The strip 2 is formed with a series of fixing bolts 6 distributed along it. The base of each fixing bolt 6 is joined, adjacent to the edge of the strip 2 furthest from the articulation line 4, to the inner edge of a corresponding hole by means of 4 small bridges 7, in order to weaken the connection between the fixing bolt and the strip. The strip 3 is formed with a corresponding series of receptacles 8 distributed along the same, inside each of which is a fixing formation, cooperable with a corresponding fixing bolt 6. Thus, substantially as described and illustrated in the aforementioned Brazilian patent application Pl 8903982-3, after the folding of the strips 2 and 3 around the joint line 4 and the compression of the outer sides of the strips together, the fixing bolts 6 enter the receptacles 8 where they are held in fixed relation. According to the present invention, a short length of the articulation line 4, starting from one end, is weakened by means of a plurality of perforations 9. Along with this, the inner edge, that is, the edge adjacent to the line 4 of articulation, of each of the strips 2 and 3 is formed at its end with a small L-shaped accessory 10, in the plane of each respective strip, in such a way that, by keeping each accessory 10 between the fingers of each hand and pull the accessories to separate them, the piece I is easily torn in its middle part along the line 4 of articulation. Figure 2 shows the device of Figure I mounted in the mouth of a plastic envelope 11. Here, the strip 2 is placed externally and along a first edge of the mouth of the envelope 11 with its transverse ends welded thereto. The fixing bolts 6 on the strip 2 penetrate the holes 13, in the first edge, which are in correspondence with the corresponding holes 13 in a second edge on the other side of the envelope 11. The envelope is illustrated in its configuration closed in figure 3, wherein, starting from the configuration shown in figure 2, the second edge, front of the mouth of the envelope 11 is placed against the first edge, in such a way that the fixing bolts 6 on the strip 2 penetrate the holes 13, after which the strip 3 is folded down until the fixing bolts enter and are fixed in the respective receptacles 8. The intentional or authorized opening of the envelope is illustrated in the figure 4, which shows a user holding the accessories 10 between their fingers and separating them. This breaks the length in a large manner ie the line of articulation 4 weakened by the perforations 9 and initiates the tearing of the closing and sealing device along the entire length of the articulation line 4., in such a way that the small bridges 7, which weaken the fixing bolts 6, break to leave the bolts themselves trapped in the receptacles 8. Once the envelope has been opened, the visual inspection of the strip 2- stopping, for example in the light, will show that all the holes, in which the fixing bolts 6 were retained by the bridges 7, are empty, that is, that there was no attempt to violate the seal, with the consequent previous rupture of one or more of the fixing bolts, disguised by the use of adhesive to seal the holes. It should be understood that the existence of a line 4 of articulation weakened by the perforations 9 and the provision of accessories 10 will allow a greater ease in opening the envelope 11, without having to use scissors or the like to open it and without harming the degree of security provided by the sealing system. The device 1 illustrated in the figures is the preferred embodiment of the invention. However, other configurations are possible within the same inventive concept and it should be understood that changes to the specific sealing system can be made, without going beyond the proposed scope of this invention. Similarly, the shape of the accessories 10 can be modified, the "L" shape is only a preferred configuration and the length along the articulation line 4, weakened due to the perforations 9, can be varied as long as is sufficient to begin tearing as illustrated in Figure 4. The scope of the invention should therefore be limited only by the terms and the interpretation of the following claims.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects to which it relates. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following

Claims (10)

1. Claims 1. A closing and sealing device for closing and sealing envelopes and the like, comprising first and second elongated strips of plastic-like material, foldable, one above the other, around a narrow longitudinal articulation line, the first The strip is provided with a series of fixing bolts, distributed along the same, each of the fixing bolts has a weakened base and the second strip is provided with a series of receptacles adapted to receive the fixing bolts in relation of fixing thereto, the device is characterized in that, when starting from a first end, at least a part along the length of the longitudinal articulation line is weakened to define a tear line and because each strip is provided , at the first end, with an accessory capable of being held between the fingers of the user to facilitate tearing of the first and second strips along the tear line.
2. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tear line occupies a small fraction of the total length of the articulation line.
3. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the accessory comprises a thin extension, adjacent to the tear line, starting from a point on the first end of each respective strip.
4. 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the thin extension is of "L" shape and is arranged in the same plane as its associated strip.
5. 5. The device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the weakened base of each of the fixing bolts comprises small radial connections formed in the opening of the first strip.
6. 6. A plastic envelope supplied or provided with a closing and sealing device, the envelope is provided with an opening having first and second overlapping edges and the closing and sealing device comprises first and second elongated strips of plastic material of substantially the same length as the edges, the first strip, which is provided with a series of fastening bolts distributed along the same, each of the fastening bolts has a weakened base and the first strip is externally fixed to the first edge of the fastener. opening, with each of the fixing bolts penetrating the aligned holes in the first and second edges of the opening in the envelope and the second strip is attached to the first strip along a narrow longitudinal articulation line by means of of a series of joints, around which the second strip is capable of being folded to be superimposed on the first strip, with the edges of the envelope being repressed and Between the same, the second strip is formed along its length with a series of receptacles adapted to receive the fixing bolts in fixing relation thereof, the plastic envelope is characterized in that, when starting from a first end , at least a part along the length of the longitudinal articulation line is weakened to define a tear line and because each strip is provided, at the first end, with an attachment capable of being held between the user's fingers to facilitate tearing of the first and second strips along the tear line.
7. 7. The envelope according to claim 6, characterized in that the tear line occupies a small fraction of the total length of the articulation line.
8. 8. The envelope according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the accessory comprises a thin extension, adjacent to the tear line, starting from a point on the first end of each respective strip.
9. 9. The envelope according to claim 8, characterized in that the thin extension is of "L" shape and falls in the same plane as its associated strip.
10. 10. The envelope according to any of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the weakened base of each of the fixing bolts comprises small radial connections formed in an orifice opening in the first strip.